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Las Vegas “X Train” terminates deal with UP, promotes Amtrak service restart
Why elect someone like McPherson, who apparently can’t keep a job ( look at his track record ) to such an elevated position. Or, is it just the 'Good 'Ol Boys" network, still in charge. Why DO so many of these upaty-up types keep bouncing from one job to another? Seems to me, if they were worth a plug nickel, they wouldn’t keep getting let go from what most of us would consider pretty Great jobs. Or can’t they live on 5 figures like the majority have to do?
Sorry John - Guess I’m Profiling _ but, you seem to fit.
Good move, methinks. Amtrak should run the LAX (from Union Station) to Las Vegas, NV train, and continue on to SLC (“Desert Wind”, anyone?). My only trip, from Las Vegas to LAX, was on UP, back in 1960. Wunnerful ride, for a PFC! Back to the Presidio of Monterey on SP, including the “Del Monte” parlor car, paid for by my blackjack winnings!
Something really sounds fishy. The article does not discuss the matter, but I recall the concept of upgrading the UP line was to achieve “high speed.” Tacking the cars on an AMTRAK train run over current rails will not be high speed, unless these guys think they can get AMTRAK to pay for the upgrades.
If the train only goes between LA to Vegas then Amtrak should use an Union Pacific name, City of Los Vegas. Would be a good marketing tool and it says it all.
When Amtrak first started running the Desert Wind, they expected the highest ridership would be between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. However, ridership east of Las Vegas was greater. It would be interesting to see if this would still be the case if they were to resurrect the Desert Wind. It would also help ridership on the California Zephyr east of Salt Lake City, but might hurt the Southwest Chief.
Amtrak screwed to pooch by letting the Desert Wind go in the first place. Didn’t the powers to be predict that I-15 would become a parking lot? Now that flyers are having to endure the hassles of check in at LAX and other airports in the L.A. area, that makes the train service more appealing.
There is a lot of creative financing involved in getting this venture off the ground, namely getting the California RDOT and State of Nevada behind it , it will have a chance of working. Though CA wanted to extend the Capitols over Donner Pass to Reno and the conservative churches along the proposed route mounted a negative major campaign against it and won, plus Sen. Harry Reid said no to spending the money on the equipment, service and maintenance costs.
The X-Train website contains a press release dated 12 November stating that it has posted 3rd qtr. 2013 profits of $1.4 M. This is a farce. A transportation company with no operating services is not making a profit on service which hasn’t started. This looks to me like just another dotcom.
One of my army association contacts told me that Amtrak goes to Las Vegas, where a convention is being held. True, but to Las Vegas, NM. That’s a bit away!
Eric: “an Union Pacific” name? “City of Los Vegas”? Go back and round up the cows, or go back to U of W. English 101 a priority.
Maybe Amtrak should buy those Talgo sets that Wisconsin so foolishly left in mothballs all in the namne of extreme right-wing ideology and put them in service between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Don’t get your hopes up. This will never happen. Most people want to drive and have their cars when they get to LasVegas. The traffic may be horrible but they are willing to put up with it for the convenience. Those who don’t have a car or don’t want to drive take the cheapo bus trips and get a roll of coins to gamble with when they get there. This is too expensive and complicated a “gamble” to succeed.
I don’t think resurrecting the Desert Wind would hurt the Southwest Chief, Landon. Both trains serve different areas. As for Denver, People riding the Southwest Chief have to endure a Thruway bus ride. However, I don’t think too many riders do use the Chief to go to Denver. Those going to Denver from Southern California do use the Coast Starlight to the Bay Area then connect with the California Zephyr. By using the Desert Wind, the connection was made at Salt Lake City.
They should have never cancelled the Amtrak to Las Vegas in the first place.
It’s my prediction that this venture will never turn a wheel. They have been working on it for a few years now, and are right back to square one at this point. But, it’s a good way for a bunch of good ol’ boys to make a paycheck off the backs of the investors.
Sounds almost like an interurban promotion with similar results
How can you predict this new L.A. to Las Vegas would be an expensive flop, Robert McGuire? You sound like another Goosie. Beside what would YOU know about the traffic on I-15 through the Mojave Desert? If you had to sit on a cramped bus for hours as the traffic crawls at less than twenty MPH and that’s NO exaggeration, You would be squealing like a stuck pig.